30 key PA for travel, contra dance music

[ColoRodney]

I'm looking at buying a small but high-quality accordion for easy travel (I've got a 37/96 Petosa Antico for local gigs, and I have occasionally taken it on airplanes in a gig bag in the overhead bin, but it makes me nervous).

This would replace my 48-bass Tyrolean III (built by Beltuna, as I understand). I like it quite well (in fact, the bass is punchier than my larger accordion). But its musette is wetter than I like, I often find myself reaching for the non-existent 7ths row, and I run into the end of the basses on F#minor jigs and reels, since the top bass row is F#.

I'd love any input from people who know more about these instruments, especially things I might not figure out from play-testing them in the shop.

I mostly play contradance music, but also Scottish, Morris, tango, waltzes, and jazz.

My top pick -- on paper at least -- is the Serenellini Jet. I like the handmade reeds, it sounds good on videos, and it has 78 basses because they added a C# row at the top. Nice! And that wood finish always makes a good impression in a folk setting.

There are similarly-sized boxes from Beltuna, Baldoni, Saltarelle, and Ottavianelli; though to get the C# row I'd need to go up to a 96-bass size, which usually have 34 keys... in which case it's getting pretty close to my Petosa; and I might as well stick with that.

Is there any other brand I should be looking at? These photos are of my current "main squeezes."

 

[SteveBox]

I no longer play PA, as I switched to CBA nearly 20 years ago, so I can't personally recommend these. However, I understand that the Saltarelle piano accordions are popular with folk musicians. There is the 2 reed/60 bass Clifden and the 3 reed/96 bass Cleggan and Impulse. The Clifden and Cleggan are 35 key (too big?), but the Impulse is 30 key, created as a compact model for Nathan Carter.

Note that the 60 bass is a French design equivalent in range to a 72 bass. A 60 bass has no sixth row, and the fifth row is voiced in such a way that it can be used for both 7th and diminished chords. There is no difference if you don't use diminished chords, but if you needed a Cdim, for example, you would reach down to the F7 button. The 60 bass gives you a slightly more compact accordion vs. a 72 bass.

Regarding the desirability of a C# chord at the top end, those chords usually occur only briefly in folk music, and I have learned to be content with using the C# counter-bass to the A. I just hit this bass note, and don't play a full chord.

Clifden | Saltarelle Accordions

www.saltarelle.com

Cleggan | Saltarelle Accordions

www.saltarelle.com

Impulse Accordion | Saltarelle Accordions

www.saltarelle.com

A good review of the Clifden:


The Impulse in action:

 

[OuijaBoard]

I am a huge 30-treble fan. I love 26-key PAs, but for certain folk and other music a 30 is still compact while giving you down to "Fiddle G," when a 26-key just won't do.

I don't like the Saltaralle Clifden and Cleggan for the OP's purpose despite loving their beautiful treble sound.

Two reasons: Reason One--For the OP's purpose the lap-to-chin height of those two 34-key models is just so high. That Clifden is really tall. A 30-key with 19mm keys gives you around a 14" inch key-to-key span that is noticeably shorter and more enjoyable to tote around and play.

Reason Two applies to the two-voice Clifden: The basses are very, very loud and strong. They often overpower and drown out the MM treble line. And for the approximately $6,000 the damn things now cost, Saltarelle doesn't think you are worth a bass register switch for your money. I find that offensive and insulting on principle.


Beltuna does, or did, a 30-key LMM. I notice the Beltuna 30s are full-size keys with a 14.5" key-to-key span. For the use the OP describes, I prefer the smaller 19mm keys ancd 14" key-to-key span. LB in Philadelphia had a batch of 30-key Ottavianelli LMMs in for a year or so, I think there is one left. They have the smaller 19mm keys and 14" span. Dino Baffetti offers a 30-key but you rarely see them in stock anywhere, it's usually 34. Paolo Soprani offered 30-key LMMs for several years and whoever had the license on the Castelfidardo-made Professionale line put out some very nice folk instruments--I'm not sure if the license expired or what, because they're not really appearing new anywhere lately. I lucked into a pristine used 26/60 LMM Paolo Soprani Professionale and love it. But the 30 would be great!

In Petosa's lower-priced but supposedly Italian-made "Americana" line, they offer the P30 model, a 30/72 MM with TAM reeds at 14.5 pounds. I want one of those.

Speaking of models dubbed "P30," Pigini makes a 30-key MM you can get in celluloid or cherry, Durall or TAM. That too looks like a cool instrument.

There is also the Weltmeister Kristall 30/60 LMM, a light-for-LMM model with full-size keys. Plus, two 30-key models in a chassis the size of a 26-key, achieved via skinny 18mm or 17.5mm keys: The MM 30/60 Rubin, and the LMM 30/72 Juwel. I have the Rubin for practicing and knocking around. I love it for what it is, but I really want one of the Petosa Americana 30/72 MMs with TAM reeds. Also, I got my Rubin used in super-clean condition for less than half what they now sell for new. I like the small Welt folk boxes a lot at a price point . . . but the price tags have really gotten up there for a product with plastic reedblocks and plastic in the bass mechanism. They are getting away with it because the prices of new Italian stuff are shockingly outstripping both inflation and people's incomes.

 

[SteveBox]

Maugein makes a 29 key/78 bass piano accordion. Lots of customizing options.

Nos accordéons - Accordéons Maugein

Découvrez notre gamme d'accordéons et configurez les en quelques clics. Rapide et facile, obtenez l'accordéon de vos rêves directement en ligne

www.accordeons-maugein.fr

 

[OuijaBoard]

Maugein makes a 29 key/78 bass piano accordion. Lots of customizing options.

Nos accordéons - Accordéons Maugein

Découvrez notre gamme d'accordéons et configurez les en quelques clics. Rapide et facile, obtenez l'accordéon de vos rêves directement en ligne

www.accordeons-maugein.fr

I saw that--cool idea: leave off "High C," and minimize needing to narrowing your individual keys that way.

 

[jozz]

Brandoni Piccolo could be another contender of a compact high class 30/72

 

[ColoRodney]

Thanks for all of the hints! I had not seen some of these before. I also saw a 30/72 Dino Baffetti that recalls the highly decorated "Polka King" that I'll likely be selling to make room in the closet for this. I have to say I'm still leaning towards the Serenellini. By the time I get to 34 keys it's not really that different from my Petosa, so I'm not considering those for now. The Maugein is cute, but just MM and I do like having the bassoon reeds for morris and jazz. I hadn't thought about the width of keys and I'm not sure what the Jet has (at Liberty Bellows they say 14" keyboard, so probably 19 mm like the Ottavianelli that Ouija mentions?). But I think having the C# row for playing tunes in F#m and E major will make a bigger difference than some other features. And an understated, folksy, stained-wood look is more my style than the lively black keyboards with blue sharps and flats that liven up the Ottavianellis.

 

[OuijaBoard]

Thanks for all of the hints! I had not seen some of these before. I also saw a 30/72 Dino Baffetti that recalls the highly decorated "Polka King" that I'll likely be selling to make room in the closet for this. I have to say I'm still leaning towards the Serenellini. By the time I get to 34 keys it's not really that different from my Petosa, so I'm not considering those for now. The Maugein is cute, but just MM and I do like having the bassoon reeds for morris and jazz. I hadn't thought about the width of keys and I'm not sure what the Jet has (at Liberty Bellows they say 14" keyboard, so probably 19 mm like the Ottavianelli that Ouija mentions?). But I think having the C# row for playing tunes in F#m and E major will make a bigger difference than some other features. And an understated, folksy, stained-wood look is more my style than the lively black keyboards with blue sharps and flats that liven up the Ottavianellis.

The Jet also is listed with hand reeds, which can be nice.